Miles Traveled: 21.63 Originally Planned: 18
Elevation Gain: 4,776 feet Elevation Decline: 3,684 feet
Highest point: 11,572 feet
Hours between camps: 10 hours and 26 minutes
Weather: 83 F Cooler, sunny, much less windy
People found: Braveheart
We left Grand Lake with a wonderful lady whose husband works for the National Park. He talked about the years he lived on Isle Royale. It sounded very peaceful and remote.
We started our hike at the Green Mountain trailhead and had a steady climb of 3,000 feet over 9 miles. Today we stayed mainly in the trees.
We crossed many lovely streams with split log bridges to keep our feet dry.
The difficult part of the afternoon was trying to find a safe campsite. Most of the afternoon and evening we walked through a severe fire and trees could fall at any moment. We heard several trees snap and fall today.
We camped on a hill that catches the first rays of morning light.
Weasel tore a hole in the knee of his new hiking pants while crossing a dead tree.
We decided that this segment would not walk as many kilometers per day. Our quota this time is 18 miles per day. Hotels are booked up or overpriced due to the 4th of July holiday in Steamboat Springs, so we are walking slowly in this section and taking more time at the campground.
Day 2
Miles driven: 21.98 Originally planned: 18
Elevation Gain: 6,096 feet Elevation Decline: 5,613 feet
Highest point: 12,377 feet
Hours between camps: 12 hours 5 minutes
Weather: 79 F Sunny, pleasant, minimal wind
People found: Food Boy, Red Head and Blue, Braveheart, Coffee Break and Big Cheese
We woke up a little later than normal. We began the first mile on a high, narrow ridge. We descended about 500 feet and then immediately climbed to the top of Parkview Mountain. It was 3,000 feet of climbing in 3.5 miles. We saw RedHead and Blue in the forest and Braveheart was on the high alpine climb. We had lunch in an old ranger cabin that was covered in graffiti and groundhog droppings.
The day was filled with rolling trails through the forest, both burned and healthy. There were a lot of downed trees to maneuver around.
We met the main trail maintainer for this section, Lorax, he is a great person. He said he just cleared the path here two weeks ago and returned after the recent big wind storm. This trail work never really ends.
Today we experience the magic of the trails again. Glowstick, Pika and her husband had a fantastic shelter with grilled food, sweets, chips, drinks and camping chairs. It was so pleasant and the company so pleasant that we really had to try hard. We had 8 more miles planned for the day and couldn’t get caught up in the vortex of comfort. The tradition is that old hikers perform a little magic on the trail and we are thinking about what to do when our turn comes.
With a full stomach and tired feet we set off to finish the day’s kilometers. There were two more climbs over 1000 feet and even more descents. We followed some pretty ridges covered with grass and flowers. The wind was minimal which made the walk even more pleasant.
We camped near a stream in the middle of a healthy forest. We were very happy that the site was clean and flat. We also plan to sleep in tomorrow morning.
Day 3
Miles driven: 20.5 Originally planned: 18
Elevation Gain: 1,673 feet Elevation Decline: 3,626 feet
Highest point: 11,541 feet
Hours between camps: 8 hours 5 minutes
Weather: 86 F Hot, sunny
People found: Coffee Break, Big Cheese, Danny, Pitstop
We sleep hours later than usual, beyond 07:00! We had a shorter day and enjoyed every minute. The first few miles had some steep elk trails and plenty of terrain to maneuver. We saw a huge mule deer dressed in velvet. He posed for us for a couple of minutes in the forest.
After that, most of the day was easy miles on dirt roads.
We had a walk down the road that was terrifying, with no shoulders and RV trailers within a foot of us going 50+ mph. We will not repeat that walk on the road again. The friendly local couple we hitchhiked with told us to take the Fish Creek trail directly from town and that will get us back to the CDT without walking on the highway.
We arrived in Steamboat Springs early enough to take some awesome photos of the famous Rabbit Ears Motel sign. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.
We had a great evening with Pitstop, Danny and Coffee Break chatting and devouring pizza.
We take a double zero to Steamboat Springs to relax, let our feet heal a little, repair our equipment, and attend some work meetings.
The Mole shoes Weasel bought in Grand Lake are still too narrow and compressing his toes. He had a lot of foot pain in the last section and is not one to complain. He purchased a pair of Altra Lone Peaks here in Steamboat Springs and will be mailing the Topos home for use off the trail. You are now officially in the hobbit foot club like me and many other hikers.
The next town is Encampment, WY and we will have completed another state!
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